Nursery rhymes are used by parents to get children’s attention and to teach them simple lessons. However, as we grow up, we tend to forget these rhymes and see them as unimportant. Why do parents need nursery rhymes to do these things? Are nursery rhymes really beneficial?

Cognitive Development

There are a lot theories in human development, one of them is Jean Piaget’s theory of Cognitive Development. According to his theory when a child is between the ages 0 to 2 years old, they learn through sensory experiences. Nursery rhymes stimulates the sense of hearing and the actions accompanied by the nursery rhymes stimulates the sense of sight. Continuing to the next stage of development, from the ages 2 to 7 years old, children experience animism to which they attribute human characteristics to inanimate objects. Nursery rhymes would still be beneficial to their learning as most of the nursery rhymes are about objects that are seem to be alive (like the wheels of the bus going round and round).

Children need to continue developing their cognitive abilities. Remembering is one of the important cognitive skills we need to develop. Children and adolescents need to remember a lot of things especially when they start to attend school. Nursery rhymes are used by early childhood education centers and schools to aid in children’s learning. Nursery rhymes also aids the memory. This is true to adults, how much more to children. Children learn about the alphabet, learn to speak, count and even read with the help of rhymes. Nursery rhymes aid in the development of language skills as they catch children’s attention and it’s sounds are beneficial in reading and spelling. Nursery rhymes also stimulates imagination which may help children’s visualization skills.

Physical Development

Nursery rhymes are usually accompanied by simple actions such as clapping, jumping and turning around. This could help children develop their physical skills. They also learn about the different parts of their body as these are used in the actions for the rhymes.

Socio-Emotional Development

Nursery rhymes are usually sang and done in groups, probably in school, this would help the child socialize with the other children. It is normal for children to tell everything that happens to them to the people around them. As children goes home from school or visits their relatives, they tend to showcase what they learned which is a way for them to socialize with the adults.

Nursery rhymes also teaches children about emotions. The accompanying action and facial expressions of the nursery rhymes would give an idea to the children on how they could and should feel in such situations.

Nursery rhymes are indeed beneficial for children. As adults, it may not be interesting and important but as you get to have a child of your own, you’ll realize its benefits and uses. Adults could actually use rhymes to remember things as well. Rhymes are proven to be one of the best strategies in improving our remembering skills as well as our memory.